Four dead, four injured in oil depot blaze

DEO says illegal storage facility was operating without safety measures

FAISALABAD: At least four workers died after a huge fire broke out in an oil depot on Abbaspur Road in Sudhar area on Monday evening.

The bodies of the workers charred in the blaze were retrieved, while four others were shifted to a local hospital with severe burn injuries.

Rescue 1122 teams and 16 fire engines reached the site of the incident to extinguish the fire.

The blaze engulfed the oil drums in different parts of the depot with the workers trapped on the premises.

Over 30 employees were working at the place and 25 of them were rescued safely.

District Emergency Officer (DEO) Ahtisham Wahla said the oil depot was operating illegally.

“Neither the district administration nor police were aware of this depot working in the area. There were no safety measures in place at the depot to protect the property and the workers from an accident,” he said.

The depot was situated away from the populated area of the city.

District administration and police officers monitored the rescue operation. The owner of the oil depot managed to escape.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.